Potsdam: Franziska Grünke has transformed her passion for leatherwork into a thriving business focused on the repair of high-end handbags. With a meticulous approach to restoration and a commitment to sustainability, she caters to clients locally and beyond, promoting the importance of maintenance over new purchases.
Franziska Grünke, a fine leather worker based in Potsdam, runs a unique clinic for the repair and restoration of high-end leather goods in a vintage workshop that is both well-lit and meticulously organised. Her workspace showcases various tools specific for leather treatment such as folding bones, lithostones, and sharpening machines. It is here that she revives everything from everyday wallets to luxurious Hermès Birkin bags.
On a typical day, Grünke engages in detailed repair work, as illustrated by her recent project involving a “Wallet on Chain” from Chanel. The bag, adorned in a stark yellow hue that is showing signs of wear, requires her careful attention to colour matching. “I approach it with the patience of a mule,” she remarked, reflecting on her process which involves mixing various shades including neon yellow, sunny yellow, and even neon green, until she achieves a precise match. She meticulously degreases, primes, and treats each minor imperfection with surgical precision, ensuring that her work yields flawless results.
Grünke’s journey in leatherwork began ten years ago during an apprenticeship at the renowned handbag manufacturer, Picard, after she shifted her focus from fashion design due to a disillusioning experience in the hierarchical fashion industry. Faced with the challenge of securing a sustainable career, she initially envisioned the repair aspect of her business as a side venture while building her brand for bespoke handbags, which she named “Frabama,” a combination of her names prior to marriage.
However, the realities of custom orders proved challenging within the economic landscape, particularly highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. After realising the impracticalities of focusing solely on bespoke items, she pivoted her business model to prioritise repairs. Not long thereafter, as she navigated these changes, she discovered she was pregnant, which brought both new challenges and opportunities.
Now working from a significantly larger studio in central Potsdam, Grünke has established a steady stream of clients primarily through word-of-mouth recommendations, accumulating orders not only locally but from across Germany and beyond. She engages in about ten repairs per week, reassured by her belief that no damaged item is beyond salvation.
A significant portion of her clientele consists of owners of well-loved Chanel bags, which she notes have seen a decline in quality over recent years. Routine maintenance on these bags, such as cleaning and leather renewal, is carried out within a dedicated process she has honed. She advises customers on maintaining their luxury items and emphasises sustainable practices over new purchases, a sentiment echoed in the current cultural shift towards repairing rather than discarding.
Grünke’s expertise has garnered her recognition, particularly following a successful collaboration with social media influencer Ann-Katrin Schmitz, who showcased the dramatic before-and-after results of a bag restoration project on platforms like Instagram. This exposure played a vital role in attracting new customers.
As she continues to work in the leather repair industry, Franziska Grünke combines her passion for craftsmanship with innovative solutions and a commitment to preserving luxury items, contributing to a growing trend of sustainability in fashion.
Source: Noah Wire Services
